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The Game of a Successful Life
The Game of Life
Even if you haven't triumphed in the past, that doesn't mean you won’t win the next game. You just have to have the right mindset: the mindset of a champion. If you’re ready to think and act like a champion, success will come from, rather than be thwarted by, the challenges ahead. As you take the risks and push the limits needed to beat your competitors, you also have to stay focused on the goal, and the goal is to come out on top.
Still, champion deal-makers like star athletes know that preparation is the key to success. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is not about talent; it's about preparation. Winners make their luck by studying the competition, planning a strategy, and anticipating the risks. Preparing to meet the competition enables the champion to move ahead, stay ahead, and achieve victory.
When a fraction of a second makes the difference between winning and losing, the most highly-skilled athlete knows that the only way to beat his closest competitors is to have that mental edge: the ability to focus on the end-goal when the pressure is on. Athletes who have advanced to the Olympics are often at the same skill level and have already demonstrated the discipline to train and prepare for competition. The one with the champion's mindset, however, is the one who is most likely to win.
Star athletes seem to possess an almost unnatural ability to handle pressure, control doubt, and come through when the chips are down. Some people may be born with the confidence needed to win, but most people acquire that self-confidence through a powerful combination of ambition and discipline. The imagination to dream big combined with the focus and self-discipline needed to realize the dream is the mark of a true champion.
Gold-medal winners often talk of having visualized triumph; seeing victory clearly in their minds well before the actual contest. When they are so focused, it’s almost as if they have gone beyond thought itself, their minds cleared of anything superfluous. They know what they have to do so they can let their instincts take over. Clearing the mind of all thought and simply allowing the body to operate on pure instinct is called being in “the zone.” The zone is a familiar place to true champions. Getting into the zone, may sound somewhat mystical, but it is something you can actually learn to do even as you hone the more obvious skills needed to beat the competition.
Champions also know how to handle losing better than the average competitor. When they lose they do not become distracted or demoralized. Instead, they turn the failure to their advantage by learning from it. The loss does not define the athlete. Rather, it teaches him or her what not to do the next time around.
Ordinarily, people tend to be risk-averse because they're terrified of failure. But champions don’t think in ordinary ways. They're willing to push the limits to beat their personal best, to achieve something greater.
How can you gain the confidence of a champion competitor? First, take advantage of the living lessons role models provide. To become a winner you have to be willing to learn from those who have been winners themselves. Study their habits and find out which ones work best for you. By observing the best people in your industry, you'll learn what their routines are, the mistakes they make along the way, and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Then not only can you imitate their approach, but you can also match (or beat) their results.
To be a champion you have to think like a champion. You must believe within yourself that you deserve to win.
Even if you haven't triumphed in the past, that doesn't mean you won’t win the next game. You just have to have the right mindset: the mindset of a champion. If you’re ready to think and act like a champion, success will come from, rather than be thwarted by, the challenges ahead. As you take the risks and push the limits needed to beat your competitors, you also have to stay focused on the goal, and the goal is to come out on top.
Still, champion deal-makers like star athletes know that preparation is the key to success. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn't is not about talent; it's about preparation. Winners make their luck by studying the competition, planning a strategy, and anticipating the risks. Preparing to meet the competition enables the champion to move ahead, stay ahead, and achieve victory.
When a fraction of a second makes the difference between winning and losing, the most highly-skilled athlete knows that the only way to beat his closest competitors is to have that mental edge: the ability to focus on the end-goal when the pressure is on. Athletes who have advanced to the Olympics are often at the same skill level and have already demonstrated the discipline to train and prepare for competition. The one with the champion's mindset, however, is the one who is most likely to win.
Star athletes seem to possess an almost unnatural ability to handle pressure, control doubt, and come through when the chips are down. Some people may be born with the confidence needed to win, but most people acquire that self-confidence through a powerful combination of ambition and discipline. The imagination to dream big combined with the focus and self-discipline needed to realize the dream is the mark of a true champion.
Gold-medal winners often talk of having visualized triumph; seeing victory clearly in their minds well before the actual contest. When they are so focused, it’s almost as if they have gone beyond thought itself, their minds cleared of anything superfluous. They know what they have to do so they can let their instincts take over. Clearing the mind of all thought and simply allowing the body to operate on pure instinct is called being in “the zone.” The zone is a familiar place to true champions. Getting into the zone, may sound somewhat mystical, but it is something you can actually learn to do even as you hone the more obvious skills needed to beat the competition.
Champions also know how to handle losing better than the average competitor. When they lose they do not become distracted or demoralized. Instead, they turn the failure to their advantage by learning from it. The loss does not define the athlete. Rather, it teaches him or her what not to do the next time around.
Ordinarily, people tend to be risk-averse because they're terrified of failure. But champions don’t think in ordinary ways. They're willing to push the limits to beat their personal best, to achieve something greater.
How can you gain the confidence of a champion competitor? First, take advantage of the living lessons role models provide. To become a winner you have to be willing to learn from those who have been winners themselves. Study their habits and find out which ones work best for you. By observing the best people in your industry, you'll learn what their routines are, the mistakes they make along the way, and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Then not only can you imitate their approach, but you can also match (or beat) their results.
To be a champion you have to think like a champion. You must believe within yourself that you deserve to win.
